1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning and sanitizing transfer carts used in the dairy industry.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has become a common practice to ship packaged products such as milk and the like using reusable transfer carts. The use of transfer carts increases productivity and decreases the costs of distribution by minimizing handling of the product containers in the distribution chain. With continued use, however, the carts become soiled from handling, spillage, and storage.
A typical transfer cart is a five-shelved rectangular cart mounted on caster wheels for easy movement. The carts are usually constructed from stainless steel.
When milk or other dairy products are shipped using transfer carts, the cleaning becomes an acute problem. Milk, being of product for human consumption requires a much higher level of cleanliness and sanitation than a non food product. Additionally, milk containers typically will leak leaving milk on the transfer cart to dry and spoil. Spillage presents a liquid which will both collect dust, frass, and other accumulate from the environment and provide a biologically active medium attracting insects and growing bacteria. Continued use of the transfer carts and therefore continued collection of accumulate without cleaning produces a transfer cart that is both cosmetically unsightly and may be a health hazard.
Previously, transfer carts have been washed by hand expending large amounts of time and greatly increasing labor costs. Even with the large expenditures necessitated in hand washing, the results have not been satisfactory. The transfer carts are typically fabricated multiple pieces of stainless steel stock welded together forming the cart. With this construction, there are a multitude of difficult to clean crevices which often were not adequately cleaned. Additionally, stronger cleaning solutions and hotter water which could be used to more effectively clean the transfer carts are incompatible with hand cleaning.
The known prior art has not been able to effectively overcome the cleaning and sanitation problems.